Cheaters don’t prosper…

I admit it: I cheat sometimes. Not every cake I make is from scratch, and I buy store-bought goods sometimes! (*gasp!* Call the culinary cops!)

Don’t be mistaken: I love trying out new recipes that push my comfort zone in the kitchen, but when something is this easy AND this good, I figure any guilt for having “cheated” is passed over by the yummy taste of this cake!

I’d also like to give credit where credit is due, but I honestly have NO CLUE where this recipe originated. (If any of you do, please let me know!)

Please forgive my very lopsided cake. 😦 I’m working on my layer cake skills and have been dying to use the 4″ pans I found at Target. I thought for sure 4″ layer cakes would be easier to work with… but the leaning tower of cake was more difficult than I anticipated!

Preheat oven per box. Mix ingredients in a bowl. (I tried it by hand… it was possible and still only took ~10 minutes, but next time I might try the hand mixer. LOL)

Scrape mixture into desired pan and bake per instructions on box (for my 4″ round Wilton pans, I found 325 degrees for ~20-22 minutes) until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.

Allow cake to cook. If you’re not doing a layer cake and just want the cream cheese frosting, continue. Orange Cream Cheese Filling to follow the frosting… (trust me, it’s worth the wait!)

Cream Cheese Frosting(forgive me if this is off… I added as I went so these are estimates)

1 block neufachatel cheese (lowfat cream cheese), room temperature

~1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 c), room temperature

~1 T. vanilla extract, to taste

~3 c. powdered sugar

With a hand mixer, blend butter and cream cheese until smooth, adding vanilla. Add powdered sugar a half cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Frost thoroughly cooled cake (unless you’re layering, then stick this in the fridge until later.)

Orange Cream Cheese Filling(Next time, I’d probably add a bit more powdered sugar as this filling was too soft and just wanted to ooze out of the cake!)

1 block neufachatel cheese (lowfat cream cheese), room temperature

~1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 c), room temperature

Orange zest from ~half an orange

Orange juice from ~half an orange

~3 c. powdered sugar

With a hand mixer, blend butter and cream cheese until smooth, adding orange zest & juice. Add powdered sugar a half cup at a time until desired consistency is reached.

If layering, evenly divide the frosting among however many layers, spreading on top of bottom layer before stacking next layer on top. (Try to pace yourself on the frosting so you have pretty equal amounts in between the layers, while reserving some for the end.) Once all layers are stacked with frosting in between, use remaining Orange frosting to thinly coat the exterior of the cake (this is called dirty icing the cake… it catches all the crumbs you’d otherwise be fighting when you put the ivory-colored Cream Cheese frosting on.)

Refrigerate dirty-iced cake for ~an hour or until frosting is set. THEN use the Cream Cheese frosting to frost and/or decorate the cake.

Keep in mind when you make this… the batter is different than you’re used to. It’s okay. You will be amazed – the cake will rise somewhat like normal cake but boy, you will be mixing it going “Paula, are you SURE?!” Yes, I’m sure. 🙂